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- The family of Keamohetswe Seboko, 13, who drowned, believes that if the first teacher to be alerted had acted, they could have been saved.
- Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi released the report compiled by an independent law firm to the family Friday at their home in Eldorado Park.
- The MEC said disciplinary hearings would be instituted against the principal and teachers involved.
Ten months after the tragic drowning of their son, the 13-year-old Keamohetswe Seboko family is still struggling to come to terms with his death.
And now the wounds have been reopened following the publication of the investigative report on the circumstances that led to his death.
On Friday, Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi uncovered the findings of the investigation that was compiled by an independent law firm.
Keamohetswe drowned in Laerskool Bekker during a swimming activity on January 15.
Her naked body was found at the bottom of the Magaliesburg school pool.
READ | Investigation Into Death of Laerskool Bekker Student Keamohetswe Seboko Finds Teachers Negligent
Although the report ruled out foul play, his family was unconvinced and said they had yet to find closure.
Speaking outside her home after being informed, the teenager’s grandmother, Matlakala Seboko, said that while it was good that the report was finally released, it was unfortunate that it did not bring her son back.
Grandma said:
“We will live forever in pain, but I hope that justice will stop [Keamohetswe] it will be done, so that something like that doesn’t happen to other children in … the future. “
She added that they hoped the department would ensure that justice was served for her son’s death.
Keamohetswe’s mother, Lucia, could not hold back tears as she was with family members on Friday. She was too distraught to speak to the media, said her mother, Matlakala.
Members of the Keamohetswe Seboko family.
“We still do not have a closure because within the report, the autopsy says [Keamohetswe] He was found naked and the boy entered the water dressed. So if it were [a] drowning, when have you ever undressed a person? Those are some of the questions we will never get an answer to. the [law firm] I tried to investigate how [best] they could, although their report has found the school to be negligent. “
Seboko added that, as a former SGB member, she was well aware that once children entered the school premises, they were now under the care of their teachers, who were mandated to ensure their safety.
Seboko said:
“We will live forever with pain, but I hope that justice will stop [Keamohetswe] it will prevail, lest something like this happen to other children in the near future. I am not satisfied with the behavior of the teachers because I think that if the first teacher who was alerted had acted, Keamo might have been saved. “
Seboko died the same day that Parktown Boys high school student Enock Mpianzi was washed away by the Crocodile River during an orientation camp at Nyati Bush and River Break Lodge in the northwest.
Lesufi said the independent investigation had obtained images of the scene and statements from teachers. They felt that there was a misrepresentation of the facts related to the circumstances of the drowning, and thus found the school guilty of negligence.
Swim
The MEC said the girls were believed to swim first that day, but the boys had gone first. After they left and the girls came in, one of them suspected that something was wrong when entering the pool and when she reported it to the teacher, she was initially ignored.
The investigation also found “serious and inconsistent reports” from the school principal and the teacher who cared for the children at the time.
Lesufi was expected to visit the school on Saturday to meet with the School’s Board of Directors and the administration team to deliver the report.
He added that the department’s legal team would also meet with the family next week to determine an agreement, adding that he believed there would be no need to defer and that whatever was agreed would be followed.
The Seboko family will also be kept informed of the results of the disciplinary hearings. Lesufi said he had not yet established which teachers were hired by the department and the SGB.
The full investigation report will not be released, the department said.
